


Sweet Creature (BONUS CHAPTERS)

by olgushka



Series: Sweet Creature [2]
Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Domestic, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Kid Fic, M/M, Married Life, Parenthood
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-04
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-06-21 19:30:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15564861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/olgushka/pseuds/olgushka
Summary: The adventures in parenthood continue.





	1. Chapter 1

„Daddy?”

Josh looks up from his phone and smiles at his daughter who sits on the tour bus floor with paper and crayons. There's an unfinished drawing in front of her and she looks like something is bothering her.

He gestures for her to come closer and she quickly stands up and runs to him, immediately climbing into his lap.

„Uh... You're getting heavier.” Josh groans when her knee moves dangerously close to his groin. He puts his phone on the table, wraps his arms around her and gives her his full attention when she finally settles on his legs, facing him. „What's up, bumblebee?”

„You and Tyler are married, right? You are husbands.” Izzy asks, reaching out to his ear and putting her little finger through his gauge. She always does this when she feels shy or insecure and Josh knows it.

„Yes.” He says but frowns a little, having no idea where this question came from. He doesn't say anything more and waits for his daughter to explain the problem.

„So... You're my daddy. And you married Tyler. So you're my parents?”

„Yes, baby.”

„But I also have a mommy.” She says.

„Yes, you do have a mommy.”

„But you're not married.”

„No, we're not married.” Josh admits, tucking a lock of her long dark fringe behind her ear. He knew this conversation eventually had to happen but he didn't expect it to happen _today_.

Izzy gets silent for a moment and Josh can see how hard she's thinking about something. 

„If you're married...” She says carefully but then cuts herself off and starts again. „If you and Tyler are my parents and mommy is my parent too and she's my _mommy_... Why are you my _daddy_ but Tyler is just... Tyler?” Izzy asks but seeing her father’s confused face she quickly slides off his lap, picks up her drawing from the floor and returns to sit next to him on the couch. „Because I drew this and wrote who is who underneath. This is all of us! This is Jim. This is mommy and she's holding my hand. And there's you, daddy, holding my other hand. And there's Tyler holding your hand.” She describes everything, pointing to each person on the drawing. „So why mommy is _mommy_ , you are _daddy_ and Tyler is... _Tyler_?”

Even if her explanation seems chaotic and she loses the main point a couple of times, Josh understands the issue. He understands it very well and he would lie if he said that the question didn't leave him choked up.

„Oh, baby.” He says, picking her up and placing her on his lap again. He kisses her forehead and cuddles her close to his chest, glancing at the paper one more time where the messy handwriting of the seven-year-old decorates the drawing. _Jim. Mommy. Me. Daddy. Tyler_. „Do you want Tyler to be your other daddy?”

„But _he is_.” Izzy insists. „He is, right? Because you're married and you are my parents.”

„I wish it was that easy, honey.” Josh sighs.

„So can I call him my daddy?”

„You know, maybe not right away. I think we should talk to him first, okay? Will you let me talk to him before we drop this big daddy-bomb on him?”

„Oh. Okay.” She says quietly but Josh can see that she's clearly disappointed.

„Hey.” He says, tilting her chin up with his finger, making her look at him. „Don't be sad. I really wish it wasn't but it really _is_ complicated. I bet he would be thrilled to be your daddy. Just... It's very important to talk those things out first, you know? Can I talk to him? And when I find out some things, maybe later we can make some cool surprise for him?”

„Okay.” She nods with a tiny smile. 

„So this is our little secret, alright? We're not telling anyone about it.” He lifts his pinky and she locks her small finger with his. They both do an invisible zipper over their lips and giggle shortly after. „You're such a smart girl, Izzy. I can't believe I have such a smart daughter.” He hugs her and she quickly wraps her arms around his neck. „It's gonna be okay. We will figure it out.” Josh kisses her cheek. „And I absolutely love the drawing. It's definitely going on the fridge.”

Izzy gasps, pulling away from him.

„It's not finished yet!”

Josh makes big eyes, faking being terrified.

„So what are you waiting for? Quickly! Before Tyler gets back with our food!”

When she focuses on her crayons again, Josh takes a deep breath and runs his fingers through his hair. His throat goes dry.

 

He doesn't mention anything to Tyler for another three days but he can't stop thinking about Izzy's question so he finally calls Debby.

„Izzy wants to call Tyler her daddy and I don't know what to do.” He blurts out once a quiet _hello?_ appears on the other side of the line. 

Debby doesn't say anything for another few seconds.

„You know it's four in the morning, right?”

Josh looks out of the window of their hotel room and frowns when he sees a sunny afternoon. Then, he realizes the issue and he rubs his hand over his face. _Time zones._

„Crap... I'm sorry. I'm sorry for waking you. Go back to sleep.”

„No, wait. I'm up, I'm up.” Debby says quietly and Josh hears some shuffling. „Okay.” She says louder. „What's going on?”

„She asked me... The other day she asked me if she can call Tyler her daddy. Because we're married. Me and Tyler. And she deduced that we're her parents and asked me why Tyler is just... Tyler.”

„What did you say?”

„That she can't call him anything until I talk to him.”

„Have you talked to him?” She asks but something in her voice tells him that she already knows the answer.

„No... I don't know how-”

„Josh-” She tries to say something but he cuts her off.

„This is huge, Debby. This is monumental.” Josh says desperately. „I... I've been thinking about asking him to adopt her for some time now but I've never found any courage to do so and now she dropped this question on me and I'm so scared. I just want everything to be legal, you know? I want us to be a normal family, I want him to have all the rights when it comes to raising Izzy. I want him to finally have a say in decisions surrounding her education or medical treatment because right now he has none. But what if he's not ready for such a big step?”

„I think he was ready from the moment he laid his eyes on Izzy for the first time.” Debby says softly. 

„I don't know, Debs. I don't know if he feels this way.”

„I love you, Josh. I really do. But sometimes you're really fucking dumb.” She sighs. „Tyler loves you. He _married_ you, for God's sake. He takes care of you and Isabel every day. If he didn't love you and didn't plan on being in this for the long haul, do you think he would really act like he does? I've seen him with you many times and I've seen the way he treats Izzy.” She continues without missing the beat. „He would jump in the fire for both of you without hesitation. And asking him to adopt her is the best thing you can do. He will be over the moon.”

„But... As the biological parent, you would need to consent to the adoption. You wouldn't mind?” Josh asks, fiddling with the hem of his shirt.

„Why on earth would I mind? The custody is yours anyway.”

„I don't know.” He sighs again and shakes his head. He sits on the edge of the bed and tugs at his hair. „I don't know, Debby. I'm probably overthinking. I've been really anxious and stressed out for the last few days and everything is overwhelming.”

„I understand. But Josh, take a deep breath for me, okay? Look... I've gotten to know Tyler a little bit for the last couple of years and I know you have nothing to worry about. Talk to Izzy. Explain to her what adoption means and what would happen. Then, talk to Tyler when you're ready. You have my full support. One step at the time, okay?”

„Okay. Okay.” He nods, taking a deep breath. „Thank you. So much. I'm sorry for waking you. I'm just- I'm a mess right now.”

„It's okay. I'm always here for you, you know that, right? You can always talk to me. And please, keep me updated on everything.”

„I will. I'm sorry again.”

„Told you. It's okay.” She says and he hears the smile in her voice. „Where is Izzy?”

„Tyler took her outside for a playground slash ice-cream hunting mission.”

Debby giggles.

„Do you see what I'm talking about?”

Josh smiles, fiddling with his wedding band.

„I'll let you go back to sleep now, you evil woman.”

„ _Evil woman_. I like that. I love you.”

„I love you too.”

When he ends the call, his phone vibrates again with a message from Tyler. Josh can't help but grin at the picture of his husband and daughter, sitting together on the swing with big portions of soft served ice-cream. Izzy's toothless smile and a genuine happiness in Tyler's eyes make the butterflies in his stomach come to life again. He quickly sets the picture as his phone background and replies to the message, sending back a row of red hearts.

 

In the evening, Tyler is the one putting Izzy to sleep. When he comes back to the main bedroom, silently closing the door to the smaller room behind him, he smiles at Josh and climbs on the bed and under the covers. He puts his head on Josh's bare chest and the drummer quickly wraps his arm around him.

They lay in silence for a few minutes until Tyler speaks in a sleepy voice.

„She must have been really tired, you know.” He starts, shifting closer and making himself comfortable. „She was pretty confused and thought it was you putting her to bed. I gave her a kiss and tucked her in and she said: _goodnight, daddy_.”

„Oh.” Josh stills. „Really?”

„Yeah.” Tyler says with a tiny smile. „T'was nice... Let's sleep. Love you.”

Josh kisses his forehead and caresses his arm. He keeps doing it until Tyler's breathing steadies and his body relaxes. 

 

He manages to talk to his daughter a week later when he takes her out for a walk after Tyler requests being alone _for a minute_ so he can deal with his migraine in silence.

They decide to go to the beach and look for shells. Josh watches her running away from the waves and gigging when a few bigger ones hit her legs from time to time, almost wetting her shorts. When she comes back to him and hands him a couple of shells she found, he puts them inside her pink plastic bucket.

„Hey, Izzy. Come here, baby. Sit down with me for a while, okay?”

„But there are more shells!”

„I know. But I have something important to tell you. I promise to help you look for more shells in a minute.” He smiles and takes her hand. She sits down next to him on the sand and looks at him with curiosity in her eyes. „Do you remember when you asked me if you can call Tyler your _daddy_?” He asks and she nods. „Do you still want Tyler to be your daddy?”

„Yes!”

„Okay... Look, Izzy. I want Tyler to adopt you so he can be your _real_ daddy. Do you know what adoption is, baby?” He asks and she shakes her head. Josh exhales. Here's goes the hardest part of choosing the words a seven-year-old would easily understand. „When your mommy and I had you, we weren't married and mommy couldn't take care of you right then. It didn't mean that mommy didn't love you! She loved you very much, she just struggled with some things and you had to stay with me. She still loves you, she just lives with uncle Andrew now. You like him, don't you?”

„Yeah, he took me the fair, remember?”

„Of course I remember! That was a fun day, wasn't it?” He asks and she nods with excitement. „Sometimes people are together but they fall in love with different people in the meantime... And that's fine. Mommy and I couldn't be together but that's okay because each of us has found love again. Mommy has uncle Andrew now and I have Tyler. Mommy loves uncle Andrew and I love Tyler, you know? And we're all happy! There are lots of different ways to build a family. Do you remember that song from _Barney_ about family? You used to sing it a lot.”

„Yes! _A family is people and a family is love. That's a family. They come in all different sizes and different kinds but mine's just right for me._ ”

„Do you remember the second verse? About the girl?”

She thinks for a moment, quietly singing under her breath. Then she starts to sing louder.

„ _There's a girl I know who lives with her mom. Her dad lives far away. Although she sees her parents just one at a time, they both love her every day!_ ” Izzy laughs and claps her hands. „It's like us! But I live with you and mommy lives far away!”

„Exactly! But even if she lives far away, she still loves you!” He says and kisses her temple. „Me and Tyler are married because we love each other very much. Tyler loves you very much too but since you're not his daughter - not his birth daughter like you're mine - Tyler is just _Tyler_. He's not your daddy.”

„Oh.”

„But he can be. He can adopt you. It means that we need to ask him if he wants to be your daddy. If he agrees, he needs to sign some papers and talk to some people. And that's it.” Josh smiles, mirroring her expression. „Adoption means that Tyler will be your legal parent, he will be allowed to pick you up from school and go to the doctor with you if there's a need. He will be allowed to do all the things I usually do but he can't. It will be easier for everyone.”

„Can we ask him today?” Izzy stands up and jumps a few times. Then she takes his hand and tries to pull him up.

Josh laughs and stands up too.

„Maybe not today but very soon. I have an idea. But first, let's find some more shells.”

When she runs ahead of him, he quickly takes his phone and sends a text to Brad.

_I need the best pictures of Tyler and Izzy you've ever taken. Some old ones and some new ones. Printed. Regular size._

Josh pockets his phone and not waiting for the reply starts chasing his daughter.

 

For the next few days, they work on the surprise. Josh buys everything they need, makes a few important calls and prints some documents. Brad gives them photos and they find a box with Izzy's drawings that Josh kept collecting over the years. They work only when Tyler can't see them and slowly put a colorful scrapbook together.

There's no special date or occasion coming up any time soon and Tyler's birthday is months away so they decide to give it to him on a random day, on a short lunch break between traveling from one city to another. Izzy keeps bugging Josh since morning and he knows she won't be able to wait any longer. 

Wrapped in a colorful paper, she carries the scrapbook to the lounge of the tour bus where Tyler sits with his keyboard on his lap and headphones on his ears. Josh follows her, exhaling in relief when he sees that the crew went outside and they're the only people left. 

It's better. It's theirs. They don't need an audience.

When Izzy stops in front of Tyler, he looks up at her and smiles. When his eyes wander to Josh, he takes the headphones off and closes his laptop. He puts everything aside. 

„What's up, guys?” He asks.

„We have a present for you!” Izzy says with a big grin plastered to her face and hands Tyler the package.

„Oh, really? What's the occasion?” He frowns, inspecting the wrapping.

„There's none. We just wanted to make something nice for you.” Josh says, sitting next to Tyler. Izzy climbs into his lap.

„Open it!” She demands and finally, Tyler starts unwrapping the present. 

He chuckles when he sees the scrapbook and opens the first page where Josh wrote: _for ty. thank you for putting up with us_.

„Oh, so many pictures of us! And your beautiful drawings!” Tyler says, turning one page after another. „This is so cute, thank you so much!”

„Keep going.” Josh says, pointing to the book.

„Yeah, you need to reach the very end!” Izzy nods and shifts impatiently when Tyler takes his time with turning the pages.

„The very end, you say? Alright. I must admit that I love that you put everything in a chronological order, even your drawings.” Tyler sighs with a smile, not taking his eyes off the pages. „Wow. Pictures, drawings, petals, shells. You guys are really creative, thank you so much.” He says and when he reaches the last two pages, Josh's heart skips a beat. Izzy shifts in his lap again. „And that's the end- Oh. It's not the end?” He asks when his gaze falls on the envelope glued to the last page with his own name written on it. „What's this?”

„This is a special request from Isabel.” Josh says, a little sheepishly. „I've wanted to ask you this question for a while now but I wasn't sure if you would want... _that_. She gave me the courage to finally do something about it.”

„Yeah, I want you to be-” Izzy starts but Josh puts a hand over her mouth and shushes her.

„Let him find out by himself. Don't spoil it.”

Izzy nods and Josh puts his hand down.

„You guys are scaring me.” Tyler raises his eyebrow but smirks and starts opening the envelope. Once he takes out the contents, he unfolds the documents and looks at them with a wrinkled forehead. For a moment he's silent, focused on reading the forms but then the look of realization appears on his face, he gasps and suddenly stands up, walking a few steps away from the couch and facing away from Josh. „Oh, my God.”

„Tyler?”

The singer runs his hand over his face and through his hair and looks at the papers again. He scans every page once again, reads them slower than before and shakes his head. He exhales loudly and Josh can see how badly his hands are shaking. When Tyler finally turns to look at the drummer, Josh can see his glistening eyes.

„This is-” Tyler says, takes a deep breath and laughs. „Is this real?”

Before Josh сan say anything, Izzy takes the lead and speaks first.

„Will you be my daddy?” She blurts out and Tyler laughs even louder. This time, two lonely tears run down his cheeks.

„Look...” Josh starts carefully, not being sure if he's reading Tyler's reaction correctly. „I want you to- You don’t have to, you can say no, but I want you to adopt Izzy. Because I feel like we already have everything but this- this tiny detail will complete us as a family.”

„This is everything I've ever wanted.” The singer admits. He sniffles and wipes his nose with the back of his hand but he doesn't move from his spot. „This is- Josh. I meant to ask you so many times... But I never did because I wasn't sure if you wanted this. I- Of course I agree, oh God, of course I want to-”

And then he's full on crying. Josh picks up Izzy, balances her on her hip and approaches the singer. He pulls him closer by the back of his neck and Tyler's forehead hits his shoulder.

„Thank you.” Josh whispers, kissing the top of his head. „It's okay, Ty. It's okay.”

„Are you sad?” Izzy asks and Tyler's head immediately shots up. 

„No, sweetheart, I'm not sad. In fact, I'm very, very happy. I'm so happy!”

„But you're crying!”

„I know. But sometimes this is how adults react to things they're really happy about. It's weird, I know.” He explains and puts his hand on her cheek. He strokes the skin under her eye. „You really want me to be your other daddy?” He asks and she nods, reaching out to him. „Oh, God. Come here.”

She throws her arms around his neck and wraps her legs around his waist. Tyler hugs her as tightly as he can, kissing everything he can reach - her shoulder, the side of her neck, her cheek, her ear and her head. 

When he looks up and locks his eyes with Josh, the drummer smiles at him and Tyler smiles back, grinning from ear to ear. He gestures for him to come closer and Josh steps forward, wrapping his arms around both of them without hesitation. He captures Tyler's lips in a passionate kiss. 

„I love you so much.” Josh whispers when they pull away. „I love you both so much.”

„You're both my real daddies now!” 

„Well, not yet.” Tyler says and Izzy frowns. Before she can get upset, he quickly explains the situation. „Because I still need to fill these forms and explain to some people why I want to adopt you.”

„So I can't call you my daddy?”

„Of course you can! Of course you can, oh, baby girl. You can call me whatever you want, whatever you're comfortable with.”

She hugs him again and starts playing with short strands of hair at the back of his neck. 

„I love you, _daddy_.” She mumbles in his neck and Tyler looks up, blinking rapidly but smiling from ear to ear.

„I love you too, sweetheart. So much.”

Two days later another drawing goes on the fridge. It's similar to the last one but this time, one small detail changes everything. 

_Jim, Mommy, Me, Daddy, Daddy._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just don't expect me to write another 27 chapters. There will be, like... 3.  
> Anyway, hello again. As you can see, I can't live without this story.
> 
> Barney - [A Family is Love](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXUyz_Gx8Mk)


	2. Chapter 2

„There's a monster under my bed.” The seven-year-old announces, walking into her parents' bedroom. Josh opens his eyes but doesn't dare to move. He's dealt with it too many times now. It's definitely Tyler's turn but the other man snores lightly beside him. „Daddy.” Izzy huffs impatiently and Josh feels the mattress dip when she starts climbing on the bed. She pushes her way between them, climbs under the covers and lays down, cuddling to Josh's side. „Daddy. There's a monster under my bed.” She repeats impatiently and Josh sighs, rubbing his hand over his face.

„Izzy, monsters are not real. We've been over this. Go back to your room.” He mumbles.

„I want to stay here.”

„You're a big girl and big girls sleep in their own rooms.”

„But there's a monster-”

„Izzy, _stop_.”

Josh’s reprimand is louder than he intends to. He's aware that he's been a little bit too harsh on her lately and he would lie if he said that he doesn't love the feeling of her warm tiny body glued to his side at night but he knows that they need to try to put some boundaries on her wild imagination. She's passionate and creative and that's what Josh is the proudest of but lately, Izzy's been drifting towards the dangerous side of what her mind is capable to create.

Tyler stirs, rolls onto his other side and when he feels the presence of another body in bed, he immediately wraps his arm around her and buries his nose in her hair.

„Whatcha doin' here, lovebug?” He asks in a raspy voice, not fully awake. 

„Monsters.” She whispers.

„Again? You know they're not real.” Tyler says and Josh wants to kiss him. At least they're on the same page when it comes to talking Izzy out of this.

„Steven is real.”

There's a long pause before Josh’s ability to form words comes back.

„You named your monster?”

„He's less scary that way.” Izzy says and Josh feels her shifting more towards Tyler.

The younger man laughs but gathers her in his arms and Josh hears him plant a kiss on her forehead. He can't stop himself from smiling either and he decides to just let it go for tonight. 

He wraps his arm around both of them and tries to fall back asleep.

„Steven is a good name for a monster.” Tyler says suddenly.

„I know, right?” Izzy replies.

Josh groans.

 

„I still don't know if this is a good idea.” Josh sighs, entering Izzy's room later that day and sitting down on the edge of the bed.

„Well, you told her she can go. Let me remind you that _you_ came up with this idea and you've said _yes_ , like... one hundred times. You can't break your promise now, you've seen how excited she is about the whole thing.” Tyler says, picking a pile of colorful clothes from the closet and packing them in the travel bag. 

Josh opens his mouth but Izzy chooses the same moment to burst into the room.

„I've got my toothbrush!” She announces from the door, holding the pink toothbrush in her hand.

„Good job. What about your toothpaste?”

„ _Crap_.”

„Izzy!” Tyler laughs. „That's a bad word.”

„But daddy uses it all the time!” The seven-year-old argues. „And he never puts any money in the swear jar after he says it!”

„Daddy needs to be punished for being a bad influence.” The singer quirks his eyebrow and looks at Josh who sends him a challenging look. „He will start putting money in the jar and you are forbidden to say that word again.”

„What can I say then?”

„Maybe start with _oh, no_?” Josh offers and crosses his arms over his chest.

„But that's so boring!”

„Don't push it or I'm canceling your weekend!”

„Daddy!”

„Go find your toothpaste.” Josh says and points his finger to the door.

Izzy stomps her foot but leaves the room. Tyler giggles.

„Wow, you're so mean.” He says, folding a pair of jeans and putting them in the bag.

„First, monsters. Now, bad words and talking back. This freaking snowball is rolling down too fast!”

„She's growing up.”

„She's _seven_ , Tyler.”

„Details.” Tyler hums and Josh is ready to argue but then the younger man quickly changes the subject. „How many clothes does she need though? She'll be gone only for two days.”

„ _Daddy, I spilled juice on my shirt. Daddy, ice-cream dripped on my shorts. Daddy, there's a dirty spot on my hoodie._ ” Josh says in a high-pitched voice, mocking his daughter. 

Tyler's face falls. He puts his hands on his hips and clicks his tongue.

„You're right. This is definitely not enough.” He says, looking at the bag. He turns to the closet and chooses more clothes. „Why can't she just wear the same t-shirt the whole week, even if it's dirty? I do that.”

„She's a loud eater just like you, it's definitely enough, she doesn't need any more of your bad influences.”

„Hey! Everything just tastes better when you go for it!” Tyler rolls his eyes but comes closer to Josh and stands between his open legs. He throws his arms around Josh's neck and bends a little to whisper in his ear. „Your dick tastes better too when I _eat it_ loudly and somehow you never mind.”

Josh blushes, suddenly feeling hot all over. He hits the singer in the chest and tries to push him away.

„Stop it."

„Just wait until Izzy's gone.” Tyler kisses the drummer's jaw, plants another kiss on the tip of his nose, winks and steps back. He picks up the bag and checks again if he packed everything. „Socks!” He yells suddenly, facepalming.

Josh falls back on the bed.

 

It's early afternoon when the doorbell finally goes off. Izzy abandons her favorite spot on the couch where she's been sitting for the last hour watching cartoons (Josh's idea - definitely not his proudest moment but he gave up after hearing _how long until he's here?_ for probably the twentieth time). 

Josh follows his daughter to the door and lets her open it. Before he has the chance to say anything, Izzy throws herself at the guest who immediately picks her up and spins her around. 

„Uncle B!”

„Hello, angel!” Brendon laughs, kissing both of her cheeks. „I missed you!”

„I missed you too!” Izzy squeals, wrapping her legs around his middle, throwing her little arms around his neck and hugging him as her life depends on it. „I'm all packed! Daddy helped!”

„That's awesome! Wanna get your things then?” He asks and after he puts her down, she quickly runs to her room. Josh watches her with a smile and then finally looks up at his friend. „Hey, Josh.” Brendon grins and hugs the drummer.

„Hey, buddy. Good to see you.” 

„Where have you lost that handsome husband of yours?”

„I'm right here.” Tyler walks out of the kitchen with a spoon, licking it clean. He greets Brendon with a smile and doesn't even stop himself from giving him a hug. „Take good care of our daughter. We trust you.”

Josh's heart skips the beat every time he hears Tyler saying _our daughter_ or _our girl_. It's been years and it still makes him emotional.

The door to Izzy's room opens and she appears in the hallway again, dragging her bag with one hand and holding her big teddy bear in the other.

„Daddy doesn't believe me when I say that there's a monster living under my bed. He says they're not real.” Izzy says accusingly, looking at Brendon with hope in her eyes like she's trying to make him her ally. 

„Of course, they're real!” The singer replies without hesitation.

„Brendon!” Both Josh and Tyler say in unison. 

„I mean...” Brendon backtracks and kneels on the floor to be on the eye-level with the girl. „They're real but they're super friendly, you know? They make sure you sleep peacefully at night and they keep an eye on you, checking if you're are a good girl.”

„So Steven is my friend?”

„S-Steven?” Brendon asks in confusion.

„Her monster.” Josh cuts in and Tyler stands behind him, resting his chin on the drummer's shoulder. _What happened to ‘monsters are not real’?_ , he whispers in his ear and Josh hits him playfully with his elbow, watching the interaction between his friend and daughter.

„Of course, Steven in your friend. He would never hurt you and he doesn't want you to be afraid of him. He may seem scary but really, he's just a big softie.”

„Oh.” Izzy frowns and gets silent for a moment. „So Steven will be sad when I leave?”

„I bet he will be fine. Your daddies will take care of him.” Brendon smiles. „I have my own monster back at home, you know? Her name is Sarah. She's super friendly.”

„Like... Like aunt Sarah?”

„Yup.”

„So... There's aunt Sarah and your monster is called Sarah too?”

„No, they're the same person.”

„Brendon!” Josh throws his hands in the air, losing his patience. Tyler starts giggling right behind him. „For God's sake!”

„I- I don't understand.” Izzy says with a frown.

„That's okay, sweetie. It doesn't matter.” Brendon chuckles. „Are you ready to go? We will give your daddies a weekend off, God knows how much they need it.”

„What will we do?”

„Oh, my gosh... You're not even prepared for this!” The man says, clapping his hands. „We will go to the ZOO and to the cinema, we will bake cookies and maybe we will take aunt Sarah on a road trip... Boredom is not allowed!”

„Can we build a blanket fort and put fairy lights inside?”

„Of course!”

After Izzy stops jumping up and down and making wild noises out of excitement, Josh clears his throat and finally takes his chance to speak.

„Okay, guys. Time for important stuff. Brendon, please. No sweets before main meals, she needs to brush her teeth at least two times a day, feed her lots of vegetables and no fast foods. Absolutely no Taco Bell because it makes her throw up.”

Brendon quirks his eyebrow and picks up Izzy's bag.

„You're aware that your _silly_ rules are useless in the Urie's household, right? Chill out, man. Give her two days of freedom.” He says teasingly, winking at Josh. Then he turns to Izzy. „Don’t worry, darling. Aunt Sarah and I will take good care of you. Say bye to your daddies, there's no time to waste! Adventures await!”

Izzy quickly hugs and kisses both of them goodbye, promises to be good, takes Brendon's hand and they both walk out of the door. Everything happens so fast that Josh doesn't even have time to come up with more instructions for Brendon.

He joins Tyler in the middle of the hallway and wraps his arms around the other man's middle from behind. He nuzzles the back of Tyler's neck with his nose and plants a kiss where his hair ends. 

„He’s so good with her. I can’t believe how good he is with her.” The singer mumbles and turns around in Josh’s arms and the drummer captures his husband's lips in a sweet kiss. 

„Mmm... You taste good. Spicy.” Josh says and Tyler giggles.

They kiss for a while and Josh reaches down, grabs Tyler's legs and hoists him up by his thighs. He lifts him up easily, spins them around and takes a couple of steps forward until Tyler's back hits the wall. The singer drops the spoon and it clatters to the floor but none of them pays attention to the noise.

The breathy moan Tyler lets out when the drummer works on sucking a hickey under his jawline makes Josh forget about the whole world until the front door opens again.

„Guys, we forgot-” Brendon starts but cuts himself off mid-sentence when he sees the scene. Josh immediately drops Tyler and they take a step away from each other, blushing simultaneously. „Jeez, can't you keep it in your pants at least until I drive away? I could come back with Izzy, you perverts! Mother of God... You're worse than teenagers.” The man sighs and shakes his head with a fake disgust. He looks around and picks up the forgotten teddy bear from the floor. Before he leaves the apartment, he sniffs the air and makes a face. „Anyway, something is burning.”

Tyler's eyes widen and he gasps.

„My chili!” He yells and runs back to the kitchen.

Josh snatches the spoon from the floor, locks the door and follows his husband. He finds him standing near the sink and looking down at the pan with a miserable expression on his face. The kitchen smells like a burned food but it's not as bad as Josh expected it to be. He cracks the window open to let the bad scent out.

„Well?” He asks, coming closer.

„ _Well_ , I tried. I had good intentions. That counts, right? Good intentions count.” Tyler sighs and rubs his forehead with the back of his hand.

„Was that our anniversary meal by any chance?”

Tyler freezes and his eyes go wide. He pales and slowly turns his head to glance at Josh. Then, he discreetly looks above the drummer's shoulder to look at the calendar and Josh immediately knows that Tyler forgot. Instead of being mad, he laughs but the singer starts explaining anyway.

„I'm sorry, Josh! Oh, my God. I'm so sorry, I got so caught up in the recent studio stuff and Izzy's school and picking the new house, I forgot! I'm so sorry, love, I can't believe I forgot, I-”

Josh cuts him off with a kiss.

„It's okay. I forgot too.”

„What?”

„It hit me like, a few hours ago when I was looking for something in the drawer. I looked at our wedding picture and I was like: _ohhhhh, my God_.” The drummer laughs even louder and rests their foreheads together. 

Tyler slaps him in the chest and takes a step back.

„You asshole! You scared me so bad! I thought you had this all planned out and suddenly this idea of leaving Isabel with Brendon made so much sense, _dude_ , you almost gave me a heart attack! For a moment, I felt like the shittiest husband in history!”

„Aww, I'm sorry, babe.” Josh keeps giggling. „And I'm sorry I have nothing to give you but I can take you out to a fancy restaurant tonight if you want to.” The drummer approaches Tyler again and wraps his arms around his waist. 

„Sounds nice but... Uhm. That requires taking a shower, shaving and dressing up in decent clothes.” The singer says. „And I don't really feel like doing that. You?”

„Same, to be honest.” Josh shrugs but then looks Tyler in the eyes and quirks his eyebrow. „So... _Orange is the New Black_ reruns, Chinese takeaway, Red Bull and lazy handjobs on the couch?”

Tyler smiles.

„Honey, you know me so well.”


	3. Chapter 3

Josh walks into the living room with an ice pack in his hand and sighs. He rolls his eyes, grabs one of the pillows from the armchair and approaches Tyler who’s sitting on the couch with his feet lying on the coffee table. Josh lifts his husband’s leg, as gently as possible, and puts the pillow under his right foot.

„What are you doing?” Tyler looks up at him sleepily, putting his MacBook aside.

„ _Keep your foot elevated._ ” Josh says. „What part of _keep your foot elevated_ you don’t understand?”

„But it _is_ elevated?”

„Above the level of your heart.” Josh gives him a stern look and wraps the ice pack in a thin cloth before putting it over his swollen ankle. Tyler hisses and clenches his jaw, so Josh uses his free hand to caress his shin.

„This sucks.” Tyler sighs, tilting his head back and looking at the ceiling.

„I know. But luckily for you, the swelling is slowly going down. Maybe this will teach you that showing off your _sick_ basketball skills in a front of a bunch of eight-year-olds is never a good idea.” 

„I wasn’t showing off to impress kids. I just wanted to, you know... impress you.”

Josh looks at the singer and raises his eyebrows. Light blush covers Tyler’s cheeks, proving that he’s slightly embarrassed about his confession.

„Impress _me_.” The drummer repeats. „What are you? A high-schooler with a crush? Tyler, we’re literally married. You don’t have to try to impress me. I’m impressed with you every single day anyway.” Josh sits down next to him and pecks him on the lips. „You’re cute.” He smiles and adjusts the pillow behind Tyler’s back before the singer pulls him in for another kiss.

„On the other hand, maybe I should hurt myself more often. I like when you take care of me.”

„Well, I like taking care of you.”

They make out for a while and Tyler’s hand sneaks under Josh’s t-shirt to caress his side. It’s obvious that he expects something more than only kisses and Josh is more than ready to fulfill his needs. He moves down to kiss Tyler’s neck while his fingers wander to the waistband of his basketball shorts but before his hand can disappear under the material, Josh’s phone rings on the kitchen counter.

He pulls away and Tyler whines, trying to stop him from leaving but Josh gives him one last kiss and stands up.

„Might be important. I’ll be right back.”

„No, don’t even bother. I hate you.” Tyler pouts and grabs his MacBook, placing it back on top of his thighs. „Go and talk to... whoever is calling and I will just jerk off to porn.”

„You hate porn.” Josh laughs and marches towards the kitchen.

„There’s tons of porn on my computer, thank you very much.” Tyler shouts from the living room. „There’s this one folder called _JD nudes_ that I visit daily.”

„Whatever floats your boat, baby.” Josh grins and grabs his phone. He frowns at the unknown number but accepts the call nonetheless. „Hello?”

„Yes, hi, is this Joshua Dun?”

„That’s me. Sorry, who am I talking to?”

„Lindsey Jones. I’m Isabel’s teacher.”

„Oh, yes! Hello, Miss Jones. How can I help you?”

„Mr. Dun, I’m calling to inform you that we had a... situation in class earlier today and it would be best if you came to school to pick up your daughter.”

Josh’s heart goes straight to his throat. The worst scenarios start flashing right before his eyes and he needs to lean against the counter to keep his balance and focus on the conversation.

„What happened? Is she hurt?”

„Oh, no, no. She’s fine, she’s not the one who’s hurt.” She assures, probably after recognizing the hint of desperation in his voice. „But she did something against the school rules and we must discuss the problem. That’s why I need you to come to school as soon as possible.”

„Sorry, can you tell me what’s going on?”

„Isabel attacked one of her classmates.”

„She did what!?” He asks in shock, his voice going an octave higher. „What do you mean, _attacked_?”

„She punched one of the boys. Very hard, I must say. He fell off his chair and bruised his leg. It’s nothing serious, he needed a nurse’s assistance but he’s alright. She doesn’t want to tell us why she did it. I’d rather not discuss this on the phone though.” She says. „Jake’s parents are already on the way. Can you make it to school in the next hour?”

„I can make it in twenty minutes if I leave now.”

„Brilliant. Let’s meet in the principal’s office. Do you know where that is, Mr. Dun?”

„Yes... Yes. I know where the principal’s office is.” He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. „Thank you for calling me.”

„Of course. See you soon!”

„Yeah, yeah. Bye.”

He throws his phone back on the counter and takes a few deep breaths. He rubs at his face and runs his fingers through his hair. Everything feels like one of his twisted dreams. It’s impossible that Izzy _attacked_ another kid… His eight-year-old angel would never do that. She’s never caused any trouble before.

He walks back to the living room to break the news to his husband although he still doesn’t believe what he just heard. Tyler frowns when he sees him.

„You’re pale. Is everything alright?”

„I need to go to school.” Josh says. „Apparently, Izzy punched one of her classmates. They’re waiting for me in the principal’s office.”

„What!? Why?”

„They didn’t say. I- I need to go, Tyler. Will you be alright? Can you keep the ice pack on for a few more minutes? I’ll put some arnica gel on your ankle when I’m back. And I’ll make lunch later. There’s some leftover lasagna in the fridge if you’re very hungry but please, use your crutches and don’t stand on your right foot and remember to keep it elevated and-”

„Josh.” Tyler smiles, cutting off his nervous rambling. He reaches out, takes Josh’s hand and makes him sit next to him. He gives him a hug and presses a quick kiss to his temple. „Baby, breathe. I’ll be fine. It’s okay. Everything’s okay. You’re just going to school, you’re not leaving for a week.”

„I’m sorry, I’m just freaking out. I don’t know what to expect, I don’t know what really happened… It must be a mistake. God, I really hope it’s a mistake.”

„You’re going there to find out. I bet it’s nothing serious, they probably just made it sound very dramatic.”

„Why would she punch another kid, though?” Josh sighs. „She’s never used violence before. She’s the biggest pacifist out there.”

„I don’t know, baby. But I’m sure that if it’s true, she had a good reason to do it. Now, go. I’d go with you but...” Tyler points to his leg.

„No, no. Stay here. You need to rest.” Josh gives him one last kiss and stands up. „Okay. Okay. I hope I won’t throw up on my way there.”

 

He doesn’t throw up but his heart is hammering inside his chest all the way to school. He tries to think about all the possible reasons for Izzy’s behavior but nothing comes to his mind.

But then he realizes that lately, she’s been more clingy and less enthusiastic about going to school. Usually, she was the one dragging them out of the house, yelling _dad, we’ll be late!_ but in the last few weeks, it was the other way round. Was it the first sign that something was wrong? Is he a bad parent for not asking her about it? Maybe he could predict it, maybe he could prevent it. Is someone bullying her? Do eight-year-olds even know what bullying is?

He parks his car, runs all the way from the parking lot to school and takes the stairs to the first floor where the principal’s office is located. He spots Izzy’s teacher right away, pacing back and forth at the end of the long hallway with a phone pressed to her ear.

„Miss Jones!” He calls out, trying to catch her attention. She quickly ends the call when she sees him and approaches him with an outstretched hand.

„Mr. Dun. Thank you for coming.”

„Of course.” He accepts the handshake. „Can you tell me what happened?”

„We have no idea.” The teacher shrugs helplessly and shakes her head. „We’re all shocked because we’ve never had any problems with Isabel. She’s one of the brightest kids in her class, she’s always nice and helpful. I don’t know what set her off today. She simply threw herself at Jake in the middle of the lesson, pushed him to the ground and just... punched him. I believe there’s a reason behind her behavior but she doesn’t want to tell us. It’s like she’s angry at Jake but at the same time, it looks like she doesn’t want him to get in trouble either. It’s very hard to explain.”

„You don’t have to. I know exactly what you’re talking about.” Josh says. „Is the boy okay?”

„He is. The punch didn’t do any damage. He only scratched the side of his leg against the edge of the table while he was falling down but besides that, he’s not hurt.”

„Look, I’m really sorry-”

„This is not the first time I’ve witnessed this kind of behavior in this school, so don’t worry, your kid is not the first one to start a fight.” She smiles. „The most important thing is to find out the reason for her actions. Can we go inside so you can talk to her?”

The first thing he notices after entering the office is the principal and Jake’s mother, talking in the middle of the room, blocking the way of two kids sitting in two different sides of the room like they’re afraid that someone will start a fight again. The woman gives Josh a dirty look, clearly pissed about the whole situation. Jake doesn’t seem to be bothered by anything and he sits there like nothing ever happened but when Josh’s gaze stops on Izzy, his heart almost breaks.

Her head is hanging low and she’s staring at the floor. She doesn’t even look up when Josh comes in. She’s clearly sad but she’s not crying and she looks like she’s already accepted the fact that everyone is angry at her and she’s about to get punished.

Josh quickly greets the principal and Jake’s mother and crouches down in front of his daughter.

„Hello, sweetheart.” He says but she doesn’t move. He puts his hand on her cheek and tilts her head up. „Can you look at me? I want to see your pretty face.” She slowly meets his gaze and he smiles at her. He can feel everyone’s eyes on his back but he’s not gonna rush into anything. If he’s supposed to find out what happened, he will do it his way without scaring her more than she is at the moment. „There you are! Gosh. Your bangs are getting so long, I think you’ll need a haircut soon, hmm?” He says, pushing her hair to the side. „You know why we’re here, right? Can you tell me what happened, sweetheart? I’m not angry, I promise. I just want to know what happened.”

Izzy drops her gaze, focusing on the floor again.

„I hit him.” She says quietly.

„Yes, I know that. Can you tell me why?” He asks but Izzy shakes her head. „Baby, I need you to tell me why. Otherwise, they will punish you. I don’t want them to punish you without knowing the reason. That would be a bit unfair, don’t you think?”

Izzy hesitates but then speaks in a small voice.

„He said a bad word.”

Josh frowns.

„Iz, you can’t hit people for saying bad words.”

„About you.” She adds quickly.

„What?”

„He said a bad word about you. He called you a... a bad word.” She explains, nervously folding her hands in her lap.

„Can you tell me what the bad word was?” He asks but she shakes her head, harder than before. „I know we have rules when it comes to bad words but this once you’re allowed, okay? Just this once.”

„I don’t want you to get upset.” She whispers, looking up at him.

„I promise, I’m not upset with you. I’m just surprised.”

„I don’t want you to get upset about what he said about you.” Izzy mumbles and Josh’s chest swells. She doesn’t care about him being angry with her. She’s worried that _he_ will get upset.

„Whatever it is, sweet girl, we will figure it out. But you need to tell me what happened.”

Izzy looks at him for a moment before sighing and nodding her head. She reaches inside the pocket of her jeans and pulls out a crumpled ball of paper. She hands it to Josh.

He unwraps it slowly, trying not to rip it and smoothes it on his thigh. What he sees makes him bite his lip and close his eyes to collect his thoughts. _So it has begun_. The note, written in an eight-year-old’s messy handwriting, says: _you’re dad is a fag_.

And he was stupid enough to think that sending her to private school will prevent those things from happening.

„He made a mistake.” Izzy says and Josh looks up, blinking quickly.

„Hmm?”

„He made a mistake. It should be your. Y o u r.”

Josh can’t help but smile.

„You’re right.” He says quietly, leans in to kiss her forehead and stands up to face the adults.

He hands the note to the teacher. Miss Jones immediately sends him an apologetic look and passes the note to the principal who only raises his eyebrows and gives the note to the boy’s mother without a word. He walks behind his desk and types something on the keyboard of his computer.

The woman looks at the piece of paper and her eyes widen. She yells her son’s name so suddenly that her high-pitched voice makes everyone jump. Her expression changes immediately from being angry at Izzy to disappointed with her son. It’s obvious that she didn’t expect this. 

She gives Jake the _this-is-not-acceptable-behavior_ talk in front of everyone, not even lowering her voice. The boy doesn’t say anything - he only shrugs but doesn’t look like he feels particularly guilty. He says sorry to Josh though, after his mother profusely apologizes for her child’s behavior and makes him apologize as well.

„Thank you.” Josh says, accepting the boy’s apology and looking at the mother again. „Don’t be too harsh on him. He’s just a kid, kids do stupid things. But I’d appreciate it if you talked to him about the issue. Explain some things.”

„I will do that. I’m sorry again.”

„Izzy.” Josh turns to his daughter. „Apologise to Jake for hitting him.”

„I’m sorry, Jake.”

„Well...” The principal says, taking off his glasses and looking between Izzy and Jake. „I will let you both go with a warning because this has never happened before and I know you’re good kids. But if it happens again, there’ll be consequences. Jake, in this school we value equality and despise homophobia. You may not know what it means but I hope you can sit with your mom today and she will explain everything to you. Isabel, violence is never the key. And I hope you can talk about it with your dad as well.”

„Of course.” Josh nods and looks down at his daughter who slips off the chair and takes his hand, hiding behind his legs.

„Both of you can go home with your parents today. It was an eventful day for everyone.”

 

After a short conversation with the principal, Josh picks up Izzy and she quickly wraps her arms around his neck and legs around his waist. He takes her bag and walks out of school, straight to the car. He helps her buckle up and climbs into the driver seat, quickly glancing in the review mirror to look at his daughter.

„Am I in trouble?” She asks, playing with her seatbelt.

„No, sweetie, you’re not in trouble. But you need to promise me that you won’t use violence anymore and you won’t hit anyone, no matter what happens. I want you to stay calm and talk to the teacher or any other adult before acting on your own.” Josh says and leaves the parking lot.

„Can we not tell dad?”

„I think it’s something we should talk about. All of us.”

„He will be angry.” She says, looking out of the window.

„He won’t be angry.”

„Please, don’t tell him. About the note.”

Josh sighs.

„I have to, Izzy. It’s not something we should keep hidden from him. This affects all three of us and we need to work it out together, okay? I promise he won’t be angry at you. I’m sure he will be super proud that you decided to stand up for us.”

There’s a long pause in the conversation and they drive in silence for a few minutes. Izzy looks lost deep in her thoughts every time Josh checks up on her in the review mirror – he knows she’s worried. Tyler is not exactly the perfect example of a strict parent but now he’s definitely the one who keeps an eye on the basic discipline in the house. It’s a surprising but very positive role reversal. 

Josh takes the last turn onto their street when Izzy speaks again.

„Daddy?”

„Yes, sweetie?”

„Don’t tell mommy?” She pleads. „Or grandma. Or uncle Brendon. Please?”

„I won’t tell them. This stays between me, you and dad, okay?” He promises. She falls silent again but then her emotions finally take over and she starts sobbing uncontrollably in the backseat. „Oh, honey. Don’t cry, it’s alright! We’ll be home in literally two minutes and then we can all cuddle on the couch and watch _Frozen_ again and make dad sing _Let It Go_ until he cries because we both know how much he hates that song, right?” He says and Izzy lets out a short laugh through her tears. „And then we can bake some cookies, what do you think? We can try to make them taste even better than grandma’s cookies! And you know what? You can take the rest of the week off school and stay home with us. How does it sound?”

„G-good.”

„Okay, perfect. We’re almost there, baby. It’s okay. I love you very much, okay?”

„I love you too, daddy.” She sobs. „And dad too.”

„You can tell him that yourself in a minute.” He pulls into the driveway and parks the car. He quickly gets out and opens the passenger door in the back where Izzy unbuckles her belt and already reaches out to him. He picks her up and she clings to him again, wrapping her thin limbs around him. „I’ve got you, sweetie. I’ve got you.”

He carries her to the house and closes the door behind them. He puts her down in the hallway and helps her to take off her shoes even if she’s perfectly capable of doing it herself.

„Can I go to my room?”

„You want to go to your room? Don’t you wanna say hi to dad?” He asks but she shakes her head. _Still worried about Tyler’s reaction, then_. „Do you want me to talk to him about what happened first? And then we will talk together?”

„Yeah. I- Yes.”

„Okay. You can go to your room.” He smiles, wiping her cheeks and kissing the top of her head. „You can also choose something from the candy shelf. I’ll pretend I didn’t see anything and I won’t tell dad that you had candy before lunch.” He winks.

Her eyes lit up like he just told her that Santa is coming earlier this year and she runs to the kitchen before walking back with a small yellow bag of M&M’s. Josh makes an invisible zipper over his lips and watches her go straight to her room and close the door behind her.

He takes a deep breath before going to the living room. He finds Tyler asleep on the couch with headphones covering his ears and the computer on his lap. He approaches him and tries to close the MacBook but Tyler’s body jerks and he opens his eyes. He blinks and focuses his gaze on Josh when the drummer puts the computer on the coffee table.

„Hey. You’re back.” The singer says, taking off the headphones and sitting upright. „Where’s Izzy?”

„In her room. She wanted me to talk to you first.”

„Why? What happened? Is she alright?”

„She’s- She’s alright.” Josh sighs and sits on the couch beside Tyler who immediately pulls him into a side hug. Josh leans into him and puts his head on Tyler’s shoulder. „Kids are assholes.”

And then he can’t stop talking. Explaining everything to Tyler takes almost an hour because Josh finally loses his self-control. He always tries to act collected around Izzy but when he’s alone with Tyler, he knows he can let his emotions go.

That’s what he does. He curses and even cries a little, and paces around the room telling Tyler not only what happened at school but also sharing his fears and doubts about Izzy’s future. He’s not afraid of being called names – they don’t bother him anymore. He’s well aware of those who still don’t approve of his lifestyle or the fact that he’s married to another man. Homophobia still exists and will exist and he can’t do anything about it. But the thought of Izzy being bullied because of _his_ choices is something that’s hard to accept. She doesn’t deserve to be hated because of something she can’t change or chooses to stand up for. He doesn’t want her to get hurt just because she doesn’t see anything wrong about her family.

Tyler lets him vent. He listens to him carefully and tries to calm him down the best he can and finally, when Josh lets it all out, his chest feels lighter. Tyler kisses him softly on the lips and runs his fingers through his brown locks.

„I understand where your worries are coming from.” He says. „But Izzy is a very smart and strong girl and I bet that the older she gets and the more badass she becomes, she won’t let anyone bring her down. She may be upset now because it’s the first time she experiences hate and homophobia and it probably confuses her like hell. But that only means that we need to be there for her like we always are and we need to keep doing what we’ve been doing so far because believe me, babe, we’re absolutely slaying this whole parenting game.”

„You think so?”

„Josh, even my mother thinks so. And that’s probably the biggest compliment she’s able to give to someone.” Tyler smiles and reaches for his crutches. He stands up, regains his balance and starts hopping forward. „Now, come on. I need a professional to take a look at my leg.”

„Just… Careful.” Josh follows him, watching his every step until they stop in front of the door to Izzy’s room.

Tyler knocks – like he always does - and after a faint voice answers allowing them to come in, he pushes his way inside. The drummer stays in the doorway and catches the hint of panic in Izzy’s eyes when Tyler walks in but she quickly focuses on playing with her dollhouse again and avoids looking at her father.

„Hello, doctor Isabel.” The singer starts, leaning his crutches against the wall and slowly lowering himself down until he’s sitting on the carpet. „I’m here for my daily appointment.”

Izzy looks up at him in a surprise but after a brief moment of hesitation, she scoots closer. 

„Does your ankle still hurt?”

„Yes, unfortunately.”

„Can I see?” She asks and while Tyler unwraps the elastic bandage from around his feet, she pulls out her pink medical kit from the toy box. She puts the plastic stethoscope around her neck and looks at his foot. „It’s still a little bit swollen.”

„What do you suggest then, doc?” 

„Did you keep the ice on your ankle today?”

„I did, yes. I also used some pain relieving gel earlier.”

„Very good.” She says and Josh can’t help but smile at their encounter. 

Tyler always makes sure to make their father-daughter playtime as entertaining as possible and since he sprained his ankle, he doesn’t even need to try too hard. Izzy loves playing hospital, doctor’s office, veterinary clinic… Literally, every medical-focused role play is her favorite thing to do.

„You also need to remind your patient that he should keep his foot _elavated_.” The drummer says while Izzy presses the chest piece of the stethoscope over Tyler’s heart. „Because he keeps forgetting about it.”

„You should do that. So your ankle hurts less.” Izzy nods and takes out a little notepad and a pen out of her bag. She writes something and hands the note to Tyler. „Here’s your prescription.”

„Thank you so much, doctor. You’ve been very helpful. I promise I will remember about everything.” Tyler says, folds the note and hides it in his hoodie pocket. „I also came here to get my _hello, dad!_ hug because I think someone has been so busy causing trouble today that she forgot to give me one!” 

He reaches out to her and Izzy immediately throws herself into his arms. She doesn’t climb into his lap - she knows she needs to be careful not to hurt him. She hides her face in the crook of his neck and he rubs her back and strokes her hair. 

„Are you mad at me?” Izzy mumbles against his shoulder.

„No, sweetheart. Daddy told me what happened at school. I have no reason to be mad at you, okay? Everything is alright.” Tyler hugs her tightly. „We just want to talk to you. We want to understand how you feel about things that happened today.”

„Well, not only today.” Josh joins the conversation. He steps into the room and sits next to them on the floor. „Because I have this strange feeling that it wasn’t the first time, am I right? Jake’s note wasn’t the only mean thing that made you upset. Have you been bullied before, Izzy?” 

„It wasn’t bullying. They were just... Other kids. They’ve made fun of me sometimes. But they’ve never used bad words. Jake was the first to… to use it.” She says, picking up one of her dolls.

_Yes, that’s definitely bulling_ , Josh thinks but doesn’t say anything. He lets Tyler take the lead since Izzy finally opens up and he always handles talking about deep, important subjects better.

„What do you mean saying that they’ve made fun of you?”

Izzy shrugs.

„They don’t like that I had two dads. Susan told me that it’s impossible to have two dads. That parents are mom and dad. She asked who does my hair or who buys dresses for me if I don’t have a mom.” Izzy looks up at Tyler. „Why do they think it’s wrong? Why do they think having two dads is wrong? Why do they think that dads can’t braid hair or pick dresses? You can do that! And you can paint my nails! And you can play with dolls!” She says, frustrated. She looks like she’s about to burst into tears again but then she focuses on undressing her doll.

„You know these things because we’ve been teaching you them from the beginning. It’s easy to accept it and you don’t find it strange when kids have two moms or two dads because you understand that there’s nothing wrong with having this kind of family. You’re respectful and open-minded. You know what’s wrong and what’s right because we always take time to explain everything to you. Maybe Jake and other kids didn’t know that saying those things was a wrong thing to do. Maybe no one talked to them about it before and no one explained to them that there’s nothing wrong in having two dads or two moms. We don’t know what’s going on in their heads.” Tyler says. „But no matter what, you can’t let anyone provoke you. I know that sometimes it hurts, hearing such nasty things about people you love but the tricky part is that when you react, it makes them feel even more satisfied that they managed to upset you. It’s always better to just ignore these things and walk away. That’s how you can show your strength. By holding your head up high and ignoring mean comments.”

„So I can’t argue with them?”

„It’s better not to.”

„And I can’t hit them?” Izzy asks and Josh wants to laugh because she looks almost disappointed.

„Definitely no hitting. The only thing you can hit is daddy’s punching bag, okay? Do you think you can do that, from now on? Try to stay calm?”

„I- I think I can try.”

„That’s my girl.” Tyler smiles and pulls her close to his side. He sits there for a minute, just watching her play with her doll and helping her unbutton her Barbie’s blouse when she’s struggling to do that. „Oh, by the way. Izzy, how did you know that the word Jake used was bad? I don’t think we’ve ever mentioned that word to you.”

„Uncle Brendon said it was a very bad word.”

„Uncle Brendon?” Josh frowns.

„Yeah.” She nods. „I heard it in the park once. Two boys were arguing and one of them called another... this word. So I asked uncle about it. He told me what that means. I don’t like that word at all.”

„What else has uncle Brendon taught you?”

„He told me what _transgender_ means.” Izzy says proudly.

„What does it mean, then?”

„That sometimes people are sad because the way they look on the outside doesn’t match how they feel on the inside.” She explains in her I’m-a-little-expert voice. „So sometimes they change their name and clothes, and hair, and sometimes they take medication or have surgery to change their bodies so they can feel happier.”

„That’s exactly what it is.” Tyler says with a smile and kisses the top of her head. „And how do you feel about it? About this whole transgender thing?”

„Everyone deserves to be happy.” She states and if this is not the perfect subject wrap-up, Josh doesn’t know what is.

„Someone needs to remind me to thank Brendon later.” The singer laughs and looks around the room but then glances suspiciously at the eight-year-old. „Someone also needs to explain to me why there’s an empty bag of M&M’s on your desk, Izzy.”

She stands up, walks over to her desk and inspects the yellow bag. Then she turns to Josh and squints her eyes.

„Daddy, who could leave it here?”

„Probably aliens.” Josh answers immediately, without missing the beat. 

„I thought so too.” She nods, slowly moving towards the door. „Alien hunt!” She yells suddenly, running out of the room.

„You gave her candy before lunch!?” Tyler asks, sending Josh a death glare.

„Alien hunt. Sorry. Can’t miss that.” Josh whispers, ignoring his husband’s question and quickly following his daughter.


End file.
